A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top

Dan Plazak is a graduate of Michigan Tech and the Colorado School of Mining. He is a consulting geologist and engineer.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction to Mining Fraud 2. The Imaginary Mine of Doctor Gardiner 3. The Comstock: Mother Lode of American Mining Swindles 4. Snow Job at the Emma Mine 5. A Brief History of Diamond-Mining Frauds in America 6. Tin Men 7. Professor Samuel Aughey: "A First-Class Charlatan" 8. Swindle in South Park 9. Leadville: A Comstock in the Colorado Rockies 10. Tichenor's Gold: Calistoga Natural Springwater 11. Richard Flower: Master Swindler 12. Thomas Lawson: Champion of the People 13. Aron Beam and His Gold Process 14. Golden Sands of the Adirondacks 15. Mining Gold from the Sea 16. The Spoilers 17. Whitaker Wright's House of Cards 18. George Graham Rice's Adventures with Your Money 19. Death Valley Scotty: The Showman as Mine Swindler 20. The Literary Life: Julian Hawthorne, Mining Swindler 21. Selling the Pure Blue Sky Notes Bibliography Index

"Having cast a very wide net through the popular press and the mining industry's newspapers, Plazak has marshaled an impressive array of details documenting scores of scams and scam artists. Undoubtedly anyone interested in the general topic or in particular instances of fraud or deciet will find Plazak a welcome starting point."--Western Historical Quarterly "In his estimable work, A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top, Dan Plazak strikes it rich with his examination of the old west's most successful villains and their crimes."--Utah Historical Quarterly